A database server can provide data stored in a database to a client located remotely from the database server. The database can include a collection of relations, frequently known as tables. A table in the database can include a set of data items or values that are organized using vertical columns and horizontal rows. Each column can have a data type that defines what category of data can be stored in the column. The type of a data column can be specified in a database schema, which can be a data model that defines how data in the relational database are represented or accessed. In a modern relational database, a data field can have a data type that permits storage of data having a large size compared to size of data items of other data fields. For example, multimedia data (e.g., movie clips) can be stored in a relational database.